Kristen Billiar | Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Expert Bio

Professor Billiar studies the mechanisms by which mechanical forces regulate the development and healing of connective tissues and the pathogenesis of disease is becoming one of the foremost problems at the intersection of biomechanics and cell biology. The body’s soft tissues experience forces during exercise (muscles contract and pull on tendons and ligaments) and at rest (blood vessels stretch with each heart beat). Understanding the mechanisms that enable a cell to “feel” a force, interpret this event, and react to it, has applications in numerous diseases.

Media Coverage

See More Media Coverage

The Worcester Guardian

WPI researcher joins $15M effort to unravel causes of heart valve disease

Kristen Billiar, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, is joining a national initiative funded by the American Heart Association that seeks early detection and prevention of heart valve disorders. He will lead a research project to determine the connection between cholesterol-carrying particles in the blood, biomechanical forces in the aortic valve, and the development of the most common heart valve disease.

Additional Publications: Bioengineer.org

Bioengineer.org

WPI researcher leads project to determine how stretching and blood flow impact engineered heart valves

Bioengineer.org and the Worcester Business Journal wrote about how Kris Billiar, professor and head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, received a $430,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how cells move and behave in tissue-engineered heart valves.

For media inquiries please contact:

Colleen B Wamback Associate Director, Public Relations

Colleen B Wamback
Director of Public Relations

Jon Cain Senior Public Relations Manager

Jon Cain
Senior Public Relations Manager

Need someone quickly?

If you are a reporter on deadline please email experts@wpi.edu or text (774) 701-1902 for assistance.